Mazda Mazda3: which model years to avoid
Complaint and recall totals for every Mazda Mazda3 model year we track, ranked by severity.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Crashes | Fires | Severity | Most-reported system |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 226 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 36.3 Medium | POWER TRAIN |
| 2013 | 117 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 61.5 Medium | EXTERIOR LIGHTING |
| 2014 | 138 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 62.3 Medium | UNKNOWN OR OTHER |
| 2015 | 129 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 89.9 Medium | SERVICE BRAKES |
| 2016 | 102 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 72.5 Medium | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 2017 | 83 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 38.6 Medium | UNKNOWN OR OTHER |
| 2018 | 107 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 97.2 High | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 2019 | 73 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 27.4 Low | UNKNOWN OR OTHER |
| 2020 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 Low | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE |
| 2021 | 49 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 57.1 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2022 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 87.0 Medium | AIR BAGS |
| 2023 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 600.0 High | POWER TRAIN |
Across 12 model years, the 2023 Mazda Mazda3 carries the highest severity index (600.0, driven by power train), while the 2020 is the cleanest at 0.0.
Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs. Complaint counts are not normalised by units sold; a high-volume seller will attract more filings than a rare trim.